Future Shortwave Receiver Bonito Jetstream

[E-Man]

Strictly speaking, this radio is not an SDR, although it is exclusively controlled by computer. So far no SDR has defined, controlled, read or computed anything like the RadioJet. Bonito RadioJet is a short wave receiver with a built-in USB audio device and a 24kHz multi-channel IM jack or to put it simply: The most obvious application of modern radio technology.

Bonito 1102S RadioJet Radio Receiver

Bonito RadioJet - 24 Bit High Performace IF-Reciver

Bonito RadioJet IF-Receiver 1102S (English) - YouTube

Thoughts?

 

[ka3jjz]

Hmm...the 2nd website in your list says there's a delay in shipping due to a parts shortage. That can't be a good sign.

The price is pretty steep too - about 600 euros, around USD620 or so (I haven't seen the latest exchange rates..). And I'm not wild about their digital decoding software (and I have seen several comments like that from other hams...). Hopefully if this actually does make it to market, there will be some third party development

best regards..Mike

 

[E-Man]

Savings of 100 Euros for no support, interesting? The Weather Receiving Software seems steep at 498 Euros.

 

[Token]

This radio looks very similar to the old, discontinued, WinRadio G303e with slight technical improvements. Even the first IF is the same And the price point is slightly above what the G303e was at when it was discontinued, I think the last of them went for just under $500 USD and software support continues today at no cost.

Possibly it is a better fit between the 303e and the still sold WinRadio G313e as it does have the final IF and IP3 of the 313.

As near as I can tell from the write-up it is exactly the same basic principal as WinRadio has been using for the past 6 or so years. A traditional superhet RX with a DSP in the final IF, no front panel so it is all computer controlled, all detection, demodulation, filtering done in that DSP, and a graphic spectral representation of the IF presented to the user in the GUI.

T!

(edit) Looking at the web site a bit closer they claim no active components before the ADC, so a slight difference there, interesting. And the 100 Euro is for customer support on the telephone, not for software support. Sorry, if I buy a unit where they think they are giving me a deal for $100+ worth of phone support in the first year only I am going to be a bit concerned...they expect I will have to call phone support?

 

[E-Man]

Whats the Radio Jet trick in lowering the noise floor in the video?, I liked how the weak am signal improved with turning on the DX Channel.

 

[Token]

Whats the Radio Jet trick in lowering the noise floor in the video?, I liked how the weak am signal improved with turning on the DX Channel.

I have been meaning to revisit this thread, but kind of forgot about it for a bit.

While I cannot speak to exactly how they did this in the specific hardware/software shown, this affect is the same that you get from a well implemented preamp or an Attenuator. The exact same thing happens with the Perseus and the Excalibur when you remove an attenuator or add, in the Perseus case, the preamp.

Remember that a signal level as displayed on spectrum scope or on an S-meter should NOT be affected with the selection of attenuators or preamps. The Signal level is supposed to be the signal at the antenna port of the receiver. Selection of the attenuator or preamp does not change the level at the antenna port, but it does impact the signal to noise ratio as processed through the receiver. We are used to traditional receivers were we see the level change on the S meter, but on an SDR this does not need to happen.

So, with the Perseus I can reproduce the exact affect shown in the video by selecting 30 dB of attenuation, finding a signal just above the noise floor, and then deselecting the attenuator. The signal peak remains at the same level and the noise floor drops significantly, indicating a big improvement in signal to noise. In the video notice that they go from Local to DX to push the noise floor down, in many radios this terminology is used for selecting or deselecting an attenuator.

Here is a video of the Perseus doing basically the same thing (Time Signal Station, WWV, Perseus Attenuator test, November 10, 2011, 0245 UTC - YouTube ). Note that when the attenuator is removed the peak signal level stays about the same but the noise floor drops significantly, improving the SNR. This signal is not as stable in power as the one used in the Radio Jet video, but it shows the basic action.

T!

 

[E-Man]

Thanks for the insight on how everything works.